Puget Sound Energy seeks natural gas rate decrease

Puget Sound Energy customers could pay less for natural gas as winter arrives.

The utility provider for Issaquah and much of Western Washington asked state regulators Tuesday to decrease natural gas rates by 7.7 percent overall starting Nov. 1.

The proposed purchased gas adjustment decrease should lower a typical household’s natural gas bill — based on 68 therms of average monthly usage over a 12-month period — by $5.82, to $76.59. The rate is comparable to what PSE customers paid in 2009.

PSE aims to drop commercial rates by about 8 percent.

The wholesale price for natural gas is down due to abundant domestic supplies.

In the Puget Sound region, electric heating for a home is about 1.5 to 2 times more expensive than natural gas heat.

The purchased gas adjustment mechanism approved by state regulators to allow natural gas utilities to periodically adjust rates, up or down, to reflect changes in the price of natural gas purchased and delivered to customers.

PSE does not profit or lose money on the cost of natural gas purchased for customers.